exhaustion
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the state of being very tired, usually because you have worked too hard or exercised a lot.
a state of extreme physical or mental fatigue resulting from prolonged effort or stress.
Simple“After running the marathon, he collapsed on the grass in total exhaustion.”
In context“The medical staff suffered from profound exhaustion after working double shifts for three consecutive weeks during the health crisis.”
UsageUncountable in this sense.
- 02 C1 Advanced
the act of using all of something so that none remains.
the action or state of consuming or using up a resource until it is completely depleted.
Simple“The exhaustion of the world's oil supplies is a major concern for scientists.”
In context“The rapid exhaustion of the soil's nutrients forced the farmers to invest heavily in expensive synthetic fertilisers.”
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'of'.
Teacher's tipThis sense is more common in academic or environmental contexts than in daily conversation.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
the process of removing all the air or gas from a container.
the process of evacuating a vessel to create a vacuum by removing all internal gases.
Simple“The machine uses the exhaustion of air to seal the plastic bags tightly.”
In context“The experiment required the complete exhaustion of the chamber to ensure that no air molecules interfered with the particle beam.”
Teacher's tipIn modern science, 'evacuation' is more frequently used for this process.
Synonyms
Usage exhaustion leading
“After a gruelling count, an atmosphere of deep exhaustion had settled over the room.”
“Heat exhaustion is not usually serious as long as you can cool yourself down, but heatstroke is a medical emergency which requires immediate treatment.”
Borrowed from Medieval Latin exhaustiō, from exhauriō. Surface analysis: exhaust + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.